Where over the world is NASA astronaut Scott Kelly? Kelly, who will be living aboard the International Space Station for nearly six months, wants to test your knowledge of the world through a geography trivia game on Twitter.

The first person to correctly identify the place depicted in his photos will win an autographed copy of the picture. Kelly began his contest at the start of Geography Awareness Week, which continues through Nov. 21. He plans to continue the game for the duration of his flight.

Kelly launched to the space station along with two Russian cosmonauts, Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka on Oct. 8. He is set to return to Earth March 16, 2011. The orbiting outpost and its six crew members circle Earth more than a dozen times each day, traveling more than 200 miles above Earth at 17,500 mph.

During Kelly's stay on station, he will have opportunities to see and photograph various locations on Earth. In fact, part of his job is to capture a kaleidoscope of geographic spots used for scientific analysis of our planet.

"From the cupola, which is much like a bay window in a house, we are able to take pictures for many scientific reasons, but also to share with the public what we are learning about the planet on which we live," Kelly said.

Kelly announced the contest Nov. 8 by posting the following update from his Twitter account, @StationCDRKelly: "Got game? Be the first to correctly name that inkblot on Earth from space."

He posted the first image in the geography contest on Monday, Nov. 15. To play the geography trivia and get other updates from Kelly throughout his mission, follow his Twitter account.

"Expanding our geography knowledge is essential to our economic well-being, our relationships with other nations and the environment," Kelly said. "It helps us make sense of our world and allows us to make connections between people and places. Space exploration is a global endeavor, and the International Space Station is the result of these connections."

cspgMember

Posts: 4046From: Geneva, SwitzerlandRegistered: May 2006

posted 11-15-2010 11:27 PM
If interested in this geography quiz, you can also use this site.